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Tougher warnings ordered for arthritis drugs
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government wants stronger warnings on some arthritis drugs.
The Food and Drug administration today ordered the stronger warnings on four medications that are widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other serious illnesses.
The FDA says the medications can raise the risk of possibly fatal fungal infections.
The drugs (Enbrel, Remicade, Humira and Cimzia) work by suppressing the immune system to keep it from attacking the body.
It provides relief from swollen and painful joints in people with rheumatoid arthritis.
But the FDA's Dr. Jeffrey Siegel says it's a "double-edged sword," in that the drugs also lower the body's defenses to various kinds of infections.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Posted: 5:03pm EST September 4, 2008
EPA limits lawnmower emissions to stem pollution
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lawnmowers will be getting a bit greener under new rules issued today by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The regulations call for a 35 percent emissions reduction from new gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment beginning in 2011. In 2010, big emission reductions will also be required for speedboats and other recreational watercraft.
The head of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies says the resulting reductions will be the equivalent of removing one out of every five cars and trucks on the road.
The EPA says about 190 million gallons of gasoline will be saved each year when the new rules take effect. Also, more than 300 premature deaths would be prevented annually.
The EPA estimates the changes will cost about 236 million dollars a year. That will likely be made up by consumers in the form of more expensive lawnmowers and other machines.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Posted: 4:03pm EST September 4, 2008
Judge: New money design should accommodate blind
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal judge has ordered government lawyers to come up with a schedule to roll out $5, $10, $20 and $50 bills that blind people can tell apart.
The move follows a court ruling in May that decided U.S. paper currency discriminates against the blind.
Treasury officials have hired a contractor to look into ways to help the blind differentiate between bills. Some ideas include printing different sizes or including raised numbers. The government has urged U.S. District Judge James Robertson not to interfere with anti-counterfeiting redesigns of money that are already in progress.
But in a ruling today, Robinson said the Treasury Department won't conduct the changes on its own schedule and terms.
He's ordered government lawyers to meet with the American Council of the Blind to come up with a schedule that requires changes in the next generation of bills.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Posted: 1:25pm EST September 4, 2008
Questions raised about safety of plastic in baby bottles
WASHINGTON (AP) -- There are more questions about the safety of a chemical used in baby bottles and food containers.
Government toxicologists say there's "some concern" that bisphenol (BIS'-fen-ahl ) can cause developmental problems in the brain and hormonal systems of infants and children. The concerns are being raised just weeks after the Food and Drug Administration declared the substance safe.
The group -- which includes scientists from the National Institutes of Health -- acknowledges its concerns are based on the findings of studies on animals. But it says bisphenol's risks to humans can't be ruled out.
The FDA says it will consider the new concerns as part of a continuing review of bisphenol.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Posted: 4:20pm EST September 3, 2008
Study: New way to spot breast cancer shows promise
UNDATED (AP) -- Doctors say a radioactive tracer that "lights up" cancer hiding inside dense breasts is showing promise after its first big test.
In a comparison with mammograms, molecular breast imaging -- or MBI -- found 10 out of 13 tumors, missing three. Mammograms detected three out of 13 tumors, and missed 10. Using both methods, 11 out of 13 tumors would have been detected.
Mammograms gave false alarms in about nine percent of patients, compared to only seven percent for MBI. The MBI tests led to more biopsies than mammograms did, but they more often revealed cancer.
MBIs would not replace mammograms for women at average risk of the disease, but it might become an additional tool for higher risk women.
There's at least one drawback of MBI: It uses about 8 to 10 times the radiation of mammograms.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Posted: 8:19pm EST September 3, 2008
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